GOP Rep. Byron Donalds’ Vote Recorded While He Was in California, Igniting Capitol Rules Controversy
Rep. Byron Donalds was absent from the U.S. House floor on a key voting day while his own voting card was used to cast two recorded votes, raising a fresh controversy over House voting procedures.
The Florida Republican was reportedly in California filming HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher when another lawmaker used his card to register his vote, according to reporting tied to Punchbowl sources and the Washington Examiner.
Donalds did not deny that his vote was registered while he was absent and instead deflected reporters’ questions, saying “are we really talking about that? With all the stuff we got going on?” when pressed on the incident.
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Under current House rules, proxy voting — the practice of one member voting on behalf of another — was eliminated by Republican leadership after COVID-era measures expired, making someone else casting votes for an absent member a violation of chamber rules.
Democrats including Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) raised the issue on the House floor, noting it was ironic given Donalds’ past opposition to proxy or remote voting. “The kind of hypocrisy that appears to be a specialty with my Republican colleagues,” McGovern said of the situation.
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Experts note there’s no indication of federal criminal voter fraud here; the dispute is about whether House ethics rules were broken by allowing another member to cast votes using Donalds’ card.
House Republicans have not indicated whether they will refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, but the situation has reignited a broader debate over remote and proxy voting rules.
What happens next is likely an internal review of voting practices and possible ethics inquiries — especially as bipartisan calls grow to clarify how voting cards are handled on the House floor. Internal House leadership has said nothing definitive on consequences.